Thursday, August 20, 2009

It seems like the Social Media Revolution has exploded over the last year. With services like Twitter, Ning, Facebook, You Tube, and others, our students are spending more and more time online, making connections. Schools are, all be it slowly, realizing that they can embrace these Social Media sites to create truly, dynamic and engaging classrooms. They also are finding that they can better reach out to their parents and community.

Is your school or district using any of these sites or services? Are you using them in your classroom with students? Where do you start? Here are a few resources that you can use to get a handle on Social Media and how you can leverage it to create Connected Classrooms, Schools, Districts, Students, Staffs and Communities:

Social Media In Plain English

Second you need to go through this excellent presentation on Social Media and how to use it in eLearning.

Recently some administrators got together on Twitter to talk about Social Media. They came up with a great reading list and more resources for other administrators and school leaders.Social Media Reading List Wiki

Does your school or district have an Acceptable Use Policy for computer and Internet usage? Does it address student blogging, wiki use or cellphones? Check out this great resource for creating Social Media Friendly Policies.Social Media Guidelines Wiki

And remember, with all the collaboration and sharing that occurs with Social Media tools and Web 2.0 tools we still need to remember copyright and fair use guidelines. Check out this great video on the use of Open Education materials.

What are some other resources you have used to introduce Social Media in your school or district? What is your opinion on Social Media in schools? Does it have a place? How much "connectedness" is too much? Are we even doing enough? What are your thoughts. Leave me some feedback below.Image-Flickr Creative Commons. View the original here.

Order My Books!

In this book, geared towards School and District Leaders, you'll learn about some of the most popular web tools used in schools but through a leadership lens. Understand how to be a more effective communicator and collaborator and boost productivity, at the same time understanding the need for school and district leaders be models of effective technology use.

Written with my good friend Tom Whitby, the book not only lays out the simple tools educators can use to get connected but why it's important to use these tools for professional learning, engaging classrooms and more! Filled with our own stories it's an easy read for any educator!